NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team suffered a 58-18 loss at home against No. 8th-ranked Washington & Jefferson Saturday in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action at Burry Stadium.
The Titans' record falls to 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in the PAC, while the Presidents improve to 6-0 and 2-0 in the league.
Washington & Jefferson, scoring on eight of its first 10 possessions, racked up 619 yards of offense on 87 plays. Quarterback Bobby Swallow completed 27 of 39 passes for 357 yards and six touchdowns, including a W&J school-record four (8, 10, 4, and 8 yards) to wide receiver Tom McCafferty who caught eight passes for 146 yards.
Swallow led the nation in pass efficiency (238.1) entering the game and established a 196.8 rating Saturday. Westminster's defense ranked 10th in the nation entering the game, as the Titans were giving up an average of 225.8 yards per game.
Westminster's offense amassed 288 yards on 61 plays as sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) completed 12 of 22 passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Sophomore tailback/wide receiver Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) scored all three Westminster touchdowns - his second and third career receiving scores and his first career rushing touchdown.
Rosatelli scored on a 9-yard pass from Franz with 10:08 left in the second quarter to cut W&J's lead to 21-6.
After the third of four Swallow-to-McCafferty touchdowns giving the Presidents a 28-6 lead, Rosatelli capped off a 6-play, 72-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown reception from Franz. On Westminster's two-point PAT conversion attempt, W&J's Mike Sedunov scored two points on an interception return giving the Presidents a 30-12 advantage.
Rosatelli scored on a 1-yard run with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter for the game's final points. Rosatelli finished the game with two catches for 26 yards and eight rushes for 49 yards.
The Titans' leading rusher was sophomore Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) who carried the luggage 18 times for 89 yards.
Westminster senior wide receiver Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) led the Titans with six catches for 94 yards, including a 45-yarder to the W&J 25-yard line setting up Westminster's first score. Ziegler now has 114 catches for his career moving him to No. 5 on Westminster's career receptions list, surpassing Brian Lipiello (108 from 1997-2001) and Chris Osborne (110 from 1988-91) during the game.
Junior linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) led the Titan defense with nine tackles and a pass break-up.
Westminster travels to Bethany Saturday, Oct. 20, for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 366 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
